A WOMAN IS KILLED WHILE TRYING TO CROSS THE STREET. SADLY, THIS IS JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHY JACKSONVILLE HAS THE DUBIOUS DISTINCTION OF BEING ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS CITIES IN FLORIDA FOR PEDESTRIANS. THE LATEST TO BE HIT, A 66-YEAR-OLD WOMAN EARLY THIS MORNING. ACCORDING TO STATE TROOPERS, SHE WAS TRYING TO CROSS BLANDING BOULEVARD AT 103RD STREET AT 6 A.M. WHILE IT WAS STILL DARK. THAT INTERSECTION SEES LOTS OF TRAFFIC AND HAS LOTS OF LANES. LAST YEAR, THERE WERE 446 ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PEDESTRIANS HERE IN DUVAL COUNTY. THAT NUMBER INCLUDES BOTH MINOR AND THOSE THAT WERE FATAL. THE WESTSIDE HAD SEVEN PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS LAST YEAR, BUT NONE AT THIS EXACT LOCATION. KENT JUSTICE IS JOINING US LIVE AND HE SPOKE WITH OUR SAFETY ANALYST ABOUT INTERSECTIONS LIKE BLANDING AND 103RD. ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN CROSSING AN INTERSECTION, WHETHER IT'S A BUSY ONE LIKE THIS OR SOMEWHERE ELSE, IS THAT RED AND GREEN CAN'T BE YOUR ONLY CONSIDERATION. YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING AROUND YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE VERY VULNERABLE WHEN YOU CROSS THE STREET. KEN JEFFERSON WALKED US THROUGH THIS INTERSECTION AFTER A PEDESTRIAN DIED HERE THURSDAY MORNING. FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL REPORTS SHE WAS IN THE CROSSWALK, BUT THAT SHE CROSSED BLANDING AGAINST THE RED SIGNAL FOR PEDESTRIANS. A 34-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WAS DRIVING THE DODGE RAM PICKUP THAT HIT THE 66-YEAR-OLD. THIS IS DANGEROUS FOR ANYBODY AT ANY AGE AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY BECAUSE THIS IS A VERY BUSY INTERSECTION. YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE COMING AND GOING FROM THE NAVAL BASES. YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF BUSINESSES AND PRIVATE RESIDENTS HERE. BUSY IS GREAT FOR STREET CORNER ADVERTISING, IT'S ALSO DISTRACTING FOR DRIVERS AND JEFFERSON SAYS YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO BE DISTRACTED GOING ACROSS SO MANY LANES WITH SO MANY CARS NEAR YOU. SOMEONE DIDN'T STOP FOR US AND WE STEPPED BACK UP ON THE CURB. CARS ARE MAKING A RIGHT TURN. WE EXPERIENCED THAT, ABOUT TO WALK ACROSS THE STREET AND THE CARS TOTALLY IGNORED US, EVEN THOUGH AS A PEDESTRIAN, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT-OF-WAY TO GO ACROSS. YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE IT'S CLEAR. THE WOMAN CLEARED EARLY THURSDAY USED THE RIGHT PLACE TO CROSS BUT JEFFERSON WARNS RUNNING THROUGH TRAFFIC LIKE THIS PUTS YOU IN HARM'S WAY. IF YOU CROSS ANYWHERE ELSE, YOU'RE JAYWALKING, NO. 1, AND, NO. 2, YOU'RE DARTING THROUGH TRAFFIC AND YOU'RE TAKING A RISK. YOU'VE GOT TO GO THROUGH SEVEN LANES BEFORE YOU GET TO THE OTHER SIDE. PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO SEE YOU, SOME BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION. I'M TOLD THAT THIS IS SUCH A BUSY INTERSECTION THAT THE JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF'S OFFICE CONSIDERS IT A HOT SPOT OR HIGH COLLISION AREA. AS FOR THE DRIVER INVOLVED HERE WHO HIT THE PEDESTRIAN, WE DON'T KNOW IF CHARGES ARE GOING TO COME AGAINST HER. THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL JUST PUT ON THE REPORT "CHARGES PENDING." LIVE ON THE WESTSIDE, KENT JUSTICE. IT WAS STILL DARK AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. HAVE POLICE SAID THAT WAS A FACTOR? WE KNOW THE LARGEST SINGLE FACTOR, ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, IS THAT THE WOMAN WAS CROSSING, YES, IN THE CROSSWALK, BUT AGAINST THE RED LIGHT. THE RED HAND THAT TOLD THE PEDESTRIAN NOT TO COME ACROSS AT THAT POINT. BUT HOW ABOUT THIS. WE ALL KNOW THE PHRASE "BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY," HOW ABOUT BETTER BRIGHT THAN SORRY? THAT'S SOMETHING THAT MR. JEFFERSON WAS TALKING ABOUT TODAY. KEN WAS SAYING IN THE DUSK TIMES, SUNRISE OR AT NIGHT, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE SOMETHING BRIGHT ON YOUR PERSON, EVEN SUGGESTED, HEY, PULL OUT YOUR CELL PHONE AND USE THE LIGHT THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT OTHER DRIVERS SEE THAT SOMEONE, LIKE YOU, IS IN THE AREA, WALKING

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

A woman was hit and killed by a pickup truck Thursday morning on the Westside, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Troopers said 66-year-old, Patricia Jean Giuffre, was in the crosswalk on Blanding Boulevard at 103rd Street just before 6 a.m. when she was hit by the truck driven by a 34-year-old Detra Williams.

According to FHP, the truck was heading north on Blanding approaching a green light at 103rd and the pedestrian tried to cross west on 103rd against the traffic control signal.

The woman's identity was not released, pending notification of next of kin.

All northbound lanes of Blanding Boulevard were closed at 103rd Street for hours.

"This is dangerous for anybody at any age at any time of day becuase this is very busy intersection," Channel 4 safety analyst Ken Jefferson said. "People coming and going from naval bases, you've got a lot of businesses, a lot of private residences here."

Jefferson said there are other things to be aware of at busy intersections like this.

"What we've got to be cautious of is cars trying to make a right turn," Jefferson said. "We were about to walk across the street and these cars totally ignored us. Even though you have -- as a pedestrian, you've got the right away, you've got to make sure it's clear."

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